RBWG Spring 2024 Classes
In Person and Online Tutorials via Email
Weekly Calendar
|
Register Here Please register first with Maribeth at fischer.maribeth@gmail.com to make sure that the class is running (at times we do not have enough participants to make the class work) or is not already filled. Maribeth will respond to you within a day. Pay Here Because we are committed to keeping our classes small and because we can only continue to do this if participants commit to and pay for all classes, we ask that ONCE WE CONFIRM THE CLASS WILL RUN, you pay for the full class amount up front. If you are interested in a class and cannot pay for it up front, just send Maribeth an email and we’ll work out a payment plan. Please do not pay prior to hearing from Maribeth that the class is running and a seat is available. We are unable to make full refunds if payment is received without confirmation from Maribeth first.
|
Our Instructors
Click here to read brief biographies for each of our instructors.
Prose
Slowly Stepping In – Ellen Collins (6 sessions)
When: Sundays, April 7, 14, 21, 28; May 5, 12
Where: Online Tutorial via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $300; Non-Members $340
You have longed to take a writing class, and you vaguely know you have a story to tell, but the Guild classes, so far, seem geared to those who already have basic creative writing skills. People who have a novel and characters in mind, who know what they want their memoir to be about. What if you have none of that? What if starting at the story or essay level feels overwhelming because you need to start smaller and work your way up? If you are that person, you are not alone—more and more we are hearing that we need a different kind of class, one that builds slowly, a paragraph at a time. This is that class. Through short, descriptive prompts and exercises, along with gentle critique and suggestions, participants will not dive into writing but gingerly step in, gaining confidence and skills.
Driving a Car at Night I: Assignments in Fiction – Maribeth Fischer (8 sessions)
When: Fridays, April 5, 12, 19, 26; May 3, 10, 17, 24
Where: Online Tutorial via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $400; Non-Members $450
[Writing is] like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
—E.L. Doctorow
This is a tutorial for writers who have taken Graduate School in a Box (which introduces key concepts in fiction writing) and want to continue learning new techniques to use in fiction. It’s also a tutorial for those who have embarked on a novel or short story and find themselves stuck, not sure where to go next. Each week in this tutorial, writers will be given an assignment (with examples from a work of contemporary fiction) that helps develop character or plot and also helps the writer hone a key skill crucial to fiction writing. One assignment might ask you to develop your character’s backstory, another might ask you to write a scene where your character is angry (how does one write anger?), another might ask you to use summarized dialogue rather than actual dialogue (a terrific writing tool!) Each assignment helps the writer discover new aspects of her story. Many of the Guild’s published writers have incorporated these assignments into their finished novels and stories—and we’ll look at a few of those examples too.
Creative Nonfiction: Memoir and Personal Essay – Judy Catterton (6 sessions)
ALL SEATS FILLED
When: Tuesdays, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; May 7, 10:00 a.m-12 p.m.
Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Bay Vista Road (behind Big Fish Grille)
Cost: RBWG members $300; Non-Members $340
The literary magazine Creative Nonfiction characterizes its content as “true stories well told.” We all have tons of true stories we’d like to tell. But how do we tell them well? How do we turn interesting anecdotes into engaging pieces that explore our personal histories? This class will focus on literary techniques, sometimes thought to be unique to fiction, such as plot, character, dialogue and voice that are important in memoir and personal essays as well. Class members will critique each other’s writing, learning effective and artful ways to communicate their life experiences.
Assembling a Short Story: Elements of Good Fiction – Ethan Joella (5 sessions)
ALL SEATS FILLED
When: Mondays, April 8, 15, 22, 29; May 6
Where: Online Tutorial via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $250; Non-Members $275
All levels welcome! In this individual online tutorial, you’ll be reading short works of fiction weekly and using these pieces as springboards for low-stakes exercises in character, setting, dialogue, and point of view. Authors to be read include contemporary writers like Claire Keegan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, and Lauren Groff. In the final week, you’ll put together what you’ve learned and submit your own short story.
Writing A Great Query Letter - Maribeth Fischer (3 sessions)
When: Saturdays April 6, 20, 27, 10:30-12:30 (no class Apr 13)
Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Bay Vista Road (behind Big Fish Grille)
Cost: RBWG members:$150; Non-Members $180
While most agents welcome unsolicited submissions, they typically reject 98.5% of what they receive. It’s not unusual for a single agent to receive 10,000 a year. (A large percent of the 98.5 percent of rejections are absolute nonstarters even if screened by Scooby Doo)
—Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents
There is no single right way to write a great query letter. Every writer, every blog about writing, every how-to book offers different advice. But we can make sure that our letter is not one of those “non-starters” referred to in the quote above. While including certain key elements (why are we writing to this particular agent? What are the comps), might help, even these are not always must-have’s. What we can do is write a compelling well-crafted letter that succinctly summarizes the book, captures our passion for this story/project and answers the key question of why this book matters now. And yes, we must do this in less than a page. Preferably a lot less.
But how?
In this three-part workshop, geared to those with finished or nearly finished novels we’ll begin (first class) by discussing what we collectively know about queries, weigh some of the advice, and look at a great query letter or two. In weeks two and three, we’ll bring in polished queries for workshop (which you can also submit to Maribeth for comments). At the end of the class, participants are invited to submit a revised query to Maribeth for a final critique.
When: Sundays, April 7, 14, 21, 28; May 5, 12
Where: Online Tutorial via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $300; Non-Members $340
You have longed to take a writing class, and you vaguely know you have a story to tell, but the Guild classes, so far, seem geared to those who already have basic creative writing skills. People who have a novel and characters in mind, who know what they want their memoir to be about. What if you have none of that? What if starting at the story or essay level feels overwhelming because you need to start smaller and work your way up? If you are that person, you are not alone—more and more we are hearing that we need a different kind of class, one that builds slowly, a paragraph at a time. This is that class. Through short, descriptive prompts and exercises, along with gentle critique and suggestions, participants will not dive into writing but gingerly step in, gaining confidence and skills.
Driving a Car at Night I: Assignments in Fiction – Maribeth Fischer (8 sessions)
When: Fridays, April 5, 12, 19, 26; May 3, 10, 17, 24
Where: Online Tutorial via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $400; Non-Members $450
[Writing is] like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
—E.L. Doctorow
This is a tutorial for writers who have taken Graduate School in a Box (which introduces key concepts in fiction writing) and want to continue learning new techniques to use in fiction. It’s also a tutorial for those who have embarked on a novel or short story and find themselves stuck, not sure where to go next. Each week in this tutorial, writers will be given an assignment (with examples from a work of contemporary fiction) that helps develop character or plot and also helps the writer hone a key skill crucial to fiction writing. One assignment might ask you to develop your character’s backstory, another might ask you to write a scene where your character is angry (how does one write anger?), another might ask you to use summarized dialogue rather than actual dialogue (a terrific writing tool!) Each assignment helps the writer discover new aspects of her story. Many of the Guild’s published writers have incorporated these assignments into their finished novels and stories—and we’ll look at a few of those examples too.
Creative Nonfiction: Memoir and Personal Essay – Judy Catterton (6 sessions)
ALL SEATS FILLED
When: Tuesdays, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; May 7, 10:00 a.m-12 p.m.
Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Bay Vista Road (behind Big Fish Grille)
Cost: RBWG members $300; Non-Members $340
The literary magazine Creative Nonfiction characterizes its content as “true stories well told.” We all have tons of true stories we’d like to tell. But how do we tell them well? How do we turn interesting anecdotes into engaging pieces that explore our personal histories? This class will focus on literary techniques, sometimes thought to be unique to fiction, such as plot, character, dialogue and voice that are important in memoir and personal essays as well. Class members will critique each other’s writing, learning effective and artful ways to communicate their life experiences.
Assembling a Short Story: Elements of Good Fiction – Ethan Joella (5 sessions)
ALL SEATS FILLED
When: Mondays, April 8, 15, 22, 29; May 6
Where: Online Tutorial via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $250; Non-Members $275
All levels welcome! In this individual online tutorial, you’ll be reading short works of fiction weekly and using these pieces as springboards for low-stakes exercises in character, setting, dialogue, and point of view. Authors to be read include contemporary writers like Claire Keegan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, and Lauren Groff. In the final week, you’ll put together what you’ve learned and submit your own short story.
Writing A Great Query Letter - Maribeth Fischer (3 sessions)
When: Saturdays April 6, 20, 27, 10:30-12:30 (no class Apr 13)
Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Bay Vista Road (behind Big Fish Grille)
Cost: RBWG members:$150; Non-Members $180
While most agents welcome unsolicited submissions, they typically reject 98.5% of what they receive. It’s not unusual for a single agent to receive 10,000 a year. (A large percent of the 98.5 percent of rejections are absolute nonstarters even if screened by Scooby Doo)
—Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents
There is no single right way to write a great query letter. Every writer, every blog about writing, every how-to book offers different advice. But we can make sure that our letter is not one of those “non-starters” referred to in the quote above. While including certain key elements (why are we writing to this particular agent? What are the comps), might help, even these are not always must-have’s. What we can do is write a compelling well-crafted letter that succinctly summarizes the book, captures our passion for this story/project and answers the key question of why this book matters now. And yes, we must do this in less than a page. Preferably a lot less.
But how?
In this three-part workshop, geared to those with finished or nearly finished novels we’ll begin (first class) by discussing what we collectively know about queries, weigh some of the advice, and look at a great query letter or two. In weeks two and three, we’ll bring in polished queries for workshop (which you can also submit to Maribeth for comments). At the end of the class, participants are invited to submit a revised query to Maribeth for a final critique.
Copyright © Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild